http://www.thedrugupdate.com/ Everything Psychoactive: Illicit or Legal, Domestic or Abroad en Copyright 2007 Thu, 04 Jan 2007 17:10:37 -0800 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=3.2 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss A former Texas drug cop, praised as one of the best in his field by his peers, is releasing a video titled "Never Get Busted Again." The aim of the video, says creator Barry Cooper, is to teach marijuana users and dealers how to avoid getting caught by the law. After coming to believe that his arrests, especially of marijuana offenders, were destroying families, he decided to make the video as a way to appease his conscience. The video will include how to fool drug-sniffing dogs, the best places to stash marijuana, and other helpful tips for the would-be arrestee.

]]> http://www.thedrugupdate.com/2007/01/former_drug_cop_releases_surpr.htm http://www.thedrugupdate.com/2007/01/former_drug_cop_releases_surpr.htm Miscellaneous Thu, 04 Jan 2007 17:10:37 -0800 The OP-ED section of the New York Times decided to offer its opinion on the recent publication of the Monitoring the Future Survey. In the article, Mike Males is highly critical of the utility of the survey along with the ONDCP's reaction to the survey.

]]> http://www.thedrugupdate.com/2007/01/oped_responds_to_the_mtf_surve.htm http://www.thedrugupdate.com/2007/01/oped_responds_to_the_mtf_surve.htm Tue, 02 Jan 2007 20:39:03 -0800 The 2006 Monitoring the Future (MTF) study surveys students (8th, 10th, and 12th graders) about lifetime, past year, and past month drug use. The results, released in a press conference today, showed a small decline in the annual prevalence of most illicit drugs and steady use of prescription drugs among the students. Of note also is that the declines were seen more in older students than younger.

]]> http://www.thedrugupdate.com/2006/12/monitoring_the_future_survey_r.htm http://www.thedrugupdate.com/2006/12/monitoring_the_future_survey_r.htm Use Rates Thu, 21 Dec 2006 18:09:58 -0800 Democrats in the US Congress are considering changes to America's drug policy and trade agreements with the Latin American countries. A new strategy would cut the military spending to control the drug supply, and instead direct the money toward poverty alleviation, relocation of displaced Colombians, and incentives for coca farmers to grow alternative crops. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill explained the reasoning, "Six years and $4.7 billion later, the drug-control results are meager at best."

]]> http://www.thedrugupdate.com/2006/11/democrats_talk_about_foreign_d.htm http://www.thedrugupdate.com/2006/11/democrats_talk_about_foreign_d.htm The War on Drugs Mon, 27 Nov 2006 17:24:42 -0800 The city council of Belmont, CA unamimously voted to draft legislation that would outlaw cigarette smoking everywhere in the city other than in private, single-family homes. The law, which was agreed upon in principle, but is awaiting a final draft to be voted on, would become the strictest smoking policy anywhere in the US. The news comes a month after Zogby International released a poll in which "45 percent of Americans polled would support a federal ban on cigarettes within the next five to ten years."

]]> http://www.thedrugupdate.com/2006/11/city_council_pursues_smoking_b.htm http://www.thedrugupdate.com/2006/11/city_council_pursues_smoking_b.htm Regulation Thu, 23 Nov 2006 20:52:48 -0800 Today's CESAR FAX reported on the availability of different drugs to undergraduate students at a large university. The top of the list: alcohol (100%), marijuana (95%), Adderall (89%), Ritalin (71%) thought the drugs were either "very easy" or "easy" to obtain. That study builds upon the new SAHMSA report on prescription drugs. There are now more people initiating prescription drug use every year (2.7 million) than are initiating marijuana use (2.1 million). This is partly due to the fact that marijuana has been popular much longer, and therefore has a much smaller pool of never-used people to draw from. Taken together, this data shows a trend of increasing use of prescription drugs, especially among young adults.

]]> http://www.thedrugupdate.com/2006/10/recreational_use_of_prescripti.htm http://www.thedrugupdate.com/2006/10/recreational_use_of_prescripti.htm Miscellaneous Mon, 30 Oct 2006 22:34:22 -0800 The Office of National Drug Control Policy recently announced that it will start using the free video hosting website YouTube.com to post successful anti-drug advertising. ONDCP has been using non-traditional media as a means of targeting the young generation which relies increasingly on the newer media formats. Two years ago, ONDCP became the first blog for a Cabinet level agency, and they have also added podcasting.

]]> http://www.thedrugupdate.com/2006/10/ondcp_to_use_youtube.htm http://www.thedrugupdate.com/2006/10/ondcp_to_use_youtube.htm The War on Drugs Wed, 04 Oct 2006 22:23:40 -0800 Portugal, following the lead of Switzerland, Germany, The Netherlands, and Vancouver, announced last week that it would begin setting up supervised sites for heroin addicts to inject. The new legislation also increases the availability of methadone treatment for opiate addicts and for prisons to start needle-exchange programs to prevent the spread of disease. This is an expansion of Portugal's liberal drug policies, which included decriminalizing drug use in 2000.

]]> http://www.thedrugupdate.com/2006/09/portugal_to_start_safeinjectio.htm http://www.thedrugupdate.com/2006/09/portugal_to_start_safeinjectio.htm Regulation Fri, 08 Sep 2006 19:55:42 -0800 This week's CESAR FAX showed another discrepancy between parents and teens when it comes to drugs. In an open-ended question, 27% (a plurality) of teens aged 12-17 said that drugs were the number one concern for people of their age. However, 58% of parents (of kids in the age range) questioned thought that social pressures were the number one concern of teens whereas only 12% thought it was drugs. The results supplement the CESAR FAX from August 7th which found that parents also underestimate their kids' drug use.

]]> http://www.thedrugupdate.com/2006/09/teens_worry_about_drugs_more_t.htm http://www.thedrugupdate.com/2006/09/teens_worry_about_drugs_more_t.htm Miscellaneous Fri, 08 Sep 2006 19:41:49 -0800 The use of Khat, a stimulant wiith wide acceptance in Eastern Africa, has landed 14 Somali users with DEA charges after a Seattle-area sting. Khat's stimulant effects are attributed to Cathinone, which exhibits chemical similarities to amphetamine. One prominent Somali described the bust as a "classic cultural clash," complaining that the users were not even aware that they were breaking the law by ingesting a stimulant common in their homeland.

]]> http://www.thedrugupdate.com/2006/08/dea_arrests_somali_khat_users.htm http://www.thedrugupdate.com/2006/08/dea_arrests_somali_khat_users.htm Regulation Tue, 22 Aug 2006 12:19:01 -0800 Estimates of opium cultivation hit an all-time high in Afghanistan this year. The area under cultivation increased drastically from 257,000 acres in 2005 to 370,650 acres this year. A report is due from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime in September to determine the final figures as well as the amount yielded.

]]> http://www.thedrugupdate.com/2006/08/afghan_opium_cultivation_hits.htm http://www.thedrugupdate.com/2006/08/afghan_opium_cultivation_hits.htm The War on Drugs Sat, 19 Aug 2006 14:26:53 -0800 Last week's CESAR FAX revealed a gap between children's drug use and parents' awareness of said use. For 6th graders, 21% report alcohol use in the apst year whereas only 5% of parents of 6th graders believe their child had ever even tried alcohol. The gap shrinks with older children: for 12th graders, its 68% that use and 41% of parents that know about it. The trends are similar for other drugs.

]]> http://www.thedrugupdate.com/2006/08/parents_heavily_underestimate.htm http://www.thedrugupdate.com/2006/08/parents_heavily_underestimate.htm Use Rates Sat, 19 Aug 2006 14:11:56 -0800 A study provides evidence for a link between marijuana use and early pregnancy failure. Cannabinoids interfere with the body's natural signaling system, which uses cannabinoid-like signaling molecules, and cause a failure of embryo transport from the ovary to the uterus.

]]> http://www.thedrugupdate.com/2006/08/marijuana_and_early_pregnancy.htm http://www.thedrugupdate.com/2006/08/marijuana_and_early_pregnancy.htm Health Effects Sun, 06 Aug 2006 14:19:31 -0800 This week's CESAR FAX shows US cigarette sales at their lowest since 1951. Sales had followed a steady rise until they peaked in the early 1980's, at which point a generally steady decline has been maintained. The total for last year was 378 billion cigarettes.

]]> http://www.thedrugupdate.com/2006/07/cigarette_sales_hit_55year_low.htm http://www.thedrugupdate.com/2006/07/cigarette_sales_hit_55year_low.htm Use Rates Sat, 29 Jul 2006 12:59:59 -0800 Bolivian President Evo Morales came out against the US drug policy for the Andean region. The US will likely end its trade agreement with Bolivia that is contingent on Bolivia's cooperation with US drug policy of crop eradication and military enforcement. Morales said that the US is punishing his country for its ties to Cuba and Venezuela in a move that Morales equated to "blackmail".

]]> http://www.thedrugupdate.com/2006/07/bolivian_president_criticizes.htm http://www.thedrugupdate.com/2006/07/bolivian_president_criticizes.htm The War on Drugs Tue, 25 Jul 2006 00:10:16 -0800